By Kritika Kulshrestha
More than 300 New York City youth joined hundreds of thousands of youth across the world in leading the eighth annual 4-H National Youth Science Day – or 4-H NYSD – experiment at P.S. 21 in Brooklyn on Nov. 18.
This year’s experiment, titled “Motion Commotion,” combined a speeding car collision and a distracted driving demonstration in a simulated activity that investigated the physical and human factors of motion.
The two-part “Motion Commotion” experiment enabled students to use everyday materials – including a toy car, modeling clay, ruler, calculator and cell phone – to explore physics in the real world.
In the first phase, youth constructed a simulated runway to analyze the speed, momentum and kinetic energy of a car in motion, and explored the science behind the car’s collisions.
In the second phase, they led an experiment that used the same physics principles to demonstrate the consequences of distracted driving.
The day kicked off with the 4-H pledge being recited by CUCE-NYC Associate and 4-H Youth Development coordinator Lucinda Randolph-Benjamin.
Extension Support Specialist and ACT Center of Excellence trainer Michele Luc and CUCE-NYC IT Support Specialist Joeffrey Garcia helped students understand Newton’s laws of motion and assisted them with the activities scheduled for the day.
4-H NYSD is the world’s largest, youth-led science experiment. An interactive learning experience that gets youth excited about science, technology, engineering and mathematics – or STEM, it spotlights the many ways New York City youth are engaging in 4-H Science programs year-round.